Percy In Tartarus

17: Hope of Hestia

*

Word Count: 1,938 words

POV: Percy

Chapter 17: Hope of Hestia

At sunset, Percy found Nico preparing for his upcoming journey. He was tying ropes around the pedestal of the Athena Parthenos, linking them all to a harness that looked like it was two sizes too big for Nico. Percy approached from the bottom of the hill, hoping to talk. Nico didn't acknowledge his presence, so Percy spoke up.

"Thank you."

Nico frowned. "What for?"

"You promised to lead the others to the House of Hades," Percy said. He remembered their last exchange before he fell into Tartarus vividly. "You did it."

Nico tied the ends of the ropes together, making a loop before attaching it to the harness. "You got me out of that bronze jar in Rome. Saved my life, yet again. It was the least I could do."

His voice was steely and guarded. Percy wished he could figure out what made Nico tick, but he had never been able to. Nico was no longer the geeky kid from Westover Hall with the Mythomagic cards, nor was he the angry loner who had followed the ghost of Minos through the Labyrinth.

"Also," Percy said, "about Tartarus ..."

Nico nodded, allowing Percy to speak. So, he told Nico about his trip through Tartarus. He figured that if anyone could understand, Nico could. He had also gone through Tartarus alone, before he was captured.

Percy recounted everything, beating around the sour parts, like Arachne, Kelli, and Akhlys ... and pretty much everything. So, he didn't tell much. But he focused on the important, notable parts – like the spirit in his father's fallen altar. "Did you run into a spirit like that? See anything like it? I didn't give it another thought after I found Akhlys because, well ... you know, there were more important things going on at the time."

"Yeah, well," Nico muttered, "not giving people a second thought ... that can be dangerous."

"Dude, I'm trying to say thanks and confide in you."

Nico laughed without humor. "And I'm trying to say you don't need to. Now, I need to finish this if you could give me some space?"

"... okay," Percy said. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Here he was, trying to connect with the only other person in the world who could possibly understand what he went through, and he was being told to take a hike. Then again, Nico had also been put through a lot, and he also had a pretty big reason to hate Percy. The guy had no obligation to help. Percy stepped back while Nico took up the slack on his ropes and pulled on the harness. He slipped it over his shoulders as if the Athena Parthenos was one giant backpack. It looked ridiculous.

Annabeth walked up the hill behind Percy to join them. She took Percy's hand and he didn't pull away; she smiled. Percy's stomach twisted.

"Good luck," she told Nico.

"Yeah." He didn't meet her gaze. "You, too."

A minute later, Reyna and Coach Hedge arrived in full armour with packs over their shoulders. Reyna looked grim and ready for combat. Coach Hedge grinned like he was expecting a surprise party.

Reyna gave Annabeth a hug.

"We will succeed," she promised.

"I know you will." Annabeth sounded like she believed it.

Coach Hedge shouldered his baseball bat. "Yeah, don't worry – I'm going to get to Camp and see my baby! Uh, I mean – I'm going to get this baby to Camp!" He patted the leg of the Athena Parthenos.